Christie's Meh Job Approval At Home Consistent With 2016 GOP Rivals

A new poll out from Fairleigh Dickinson University indicates that Gov. Christie's approval rating among New Jerseyans is 44 percent, a steep drop from the plus-50 percent approval ratings he enjoyed in his first term on the way to a landslide reelection victory. And an increasing number of New Jerseyans think it is unlikely he didn’t know about the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge before emails were publicly released.

But in the larger context of Christie's political career -- he's not running for office again in New Jersey, and he's eyeing a run for president in 2016 -- the poll is not so bad. That's because relative to his potential rivals for the GOP nomination, he's performing about as well as they are among those who know them best.

Here's a look at the other potential Republican candidates' ratings in their respective states. Those currently not in office (notably Jeb Bush, former Florida governor) are excluded. Only one potential candidate exceeds the 50 percent mark.

Political reporter Matt Katz is The Christie Tracker at WNYC.org. NJ Spotlight is hosting his blog and running his stories, which can also be heard on WNYC 93.9 FM and 820 AM, as well as New Jersey Public Radio: Trenton 88.1, Sussex 88.5, Netcong 89.3, and Toms River 90.3.